Hitman (franchise)

Hitman (franchise)
Hitman is a stealth video game franchise created by IO Interactive. In each installment, players assume the role of a cloned contract killer named Agent 47, who travels around the world to assassinate various targets that are assigned to him by the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). Gameplay focuses on freedom of approach, with most levels placing the player in a large sandbox location where they have free rein to explore and find different ways to reach and eliminate their targets. Stealth is a major component of the gameplay and players are given various tools to accomplish their objectives, such as suppressed weaponry and the ability to take disguises, which allow 47 to blend in with non-player characters (NPCs) and bypass most restricted areas undetected.
The first game in the franchise, Hitman: Codename 47, was published by Eidos Interactive for Windows in 2000 and introduced many of the features which would become staples of the series. Eidos would return to publish the next three games, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004), and Hitman: Blood Money (2006), for Windows and consoles, each building upon Codename 47's foundation and introducing new tools and mechanics to aid the stealth gameplay. After a six-year hiatus, Hitman: Absolution (2012) was published by Square Enix (after their 2009 acquisition of Eidos Interactive) and deviated from the Hitman formula established by the first four games by featuring a more linear structure, which was met with negative responses from many players.
After another hiatus, the next game, titled simply Hitman, was released in 2016 and was a soft-reboot which saw the return to the classic Hitman formula, featuring six large sandbox levels that were released episodically throughout the year. The game was part of a planned trilogy known as the World of Assassination, with the second chapter, Hitman 2, being published in 2018 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, after the franchise was dropped by Square Enix. Hitman 2 dropped the episodic release of its predecessor, opting to release most of its content at once. The final chapter in the World of Assassination trilogy, Hitman 3, was self-published by IO Interactive in 2021. In 2023, IO rebranded Hitman 3 as Hitman: World of Assassination, adding all the content from the previous two titles to the game, free of charge.
Mainline games in the Hitman series have been generally well-received, with most critics and players praising the unique take on stealth gameplay and freedom of approach. The games have also been commercially successful, and the Hitman series has become IO Interactive's trademark franchise. Outside of the eight mainline releases, the franchise also includes three spin-off games, two novels, and a comic book miniseries. Two live-action film adaptations, Hitman (2007) and Hitman: Agent 47 (2015), which share no narrative connections with the games, have also been released.
Games
Original series (2000–2012)
Hitman: Codename 47
When game developer Zyrinx dissolved in 1998, the remaining team reformed themselves in Reto-Moto. That team went on to create IO Interactive (IO). IO's first intellectual property would be Hitman and they created the first game in the series, titled Hitman: Codename 47. Originally, IO wanted to create a "simple shooter" titled Rex-Domonius, but the idea was scrapped by Reto-Moto.
Danish designer Jacob Andersen is responsible for the genesis of Codename 47 and its depiction of protagonist Agent 47. Andersen is quoted saying, "We decided to do a quick game inspired by Hong Kong action movies... Basically a guy in a suit blasting away in a Chinese restaurant". Soon after the initial idea was proposed, the background for Agent 47 took hold, with the idea of a genetically modified clone assassin. The concept of taking disguises from non-player characters fundamentally changed the way Hitman would be played. It became one of the first games to implement ragdoll physics.
Codename 47 was published by Eidos Interactive in 2000 and released for Windows hardware because "it was hard for us to get hold of development kits", Andersen recalls. "On top of that, 3D hardware was beginning to appear for the PC, which made it extremely interesting to develop for". The game sold over 500,000 copies and received mixed reviews due to its controls and difficulty.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
The first sequel in the series, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, was developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in October 2002, and GameCube in June 2003. The gameplay of Silent Assassin builds upon that of Codename 47, focusing more on its stealth mechanics and introducing new features such as the option for a first-person view, the ability to incapacitate enemies instead of killing them, and missions with multiple possible approaches. "Now that the main platform was PS2, we felt more at home", Andersen remembers, though some players of the original were dissatisfied with the introduction of a mid-level save system. The controls were improved and the team tried to fix AI problems, but non-player characters found new ways to misbehave. "Many have tried to fix the AI since and all have failed", Andersen smiles. "It just has to have those odd moments, otherwise it wouldn't be Hitman".
The story of Silent Assassin picks up two years after Codename 47 and revolves around Agent 47's search for his friend, Father Emilio Vittorio, who has been abducted by unknown assailants. 47, who had abandoned the assassin life in favor of a peaceful life as a gardener at Vittorio's church, reluctantly comes out of retirement and resumes work for the International Contract Agency (ICA) in exchange for their help tracking Vittorio down.
Hitman: Contracts
Hitman: Contracts was developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in April 2004. It is both a sequel to Silent Assassin, and a remake of Codename 47, as it features several levels from the first game that have been remastered with enhanced graphics, improved AI, and gameplay elements introduced in the second game. This stemmed from the fact that only 10% of Silent Assassin players had played Codename 47 due to the latter's Windows exclusivity; Andersen is quoted saying, "We decided to make Hitman 2.5 with some of the best content from [Codename 47]".
Contracts combines levels from Codename 47 with new missions depicting some of Agent 47's past contracts not featured in any of the first two games. These contracts are told through flashbacks, which 47 experiences after being hurt during a botched job in Paris, which was meant to connect Contracts to the next game in the series.
Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman: Blood Money was developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 in May 2006. The game was developed alongside its predecessor and is a direct continuation of its events, explaining why Agent 47 was hurt at the beginning of Contracts. The main storyline of Blood Money revolves around the conflict between the ICA and a rival contract killing agency known as the Franchise, which seeks to obtain the same cloning technology that created 47, who becomes caught in the crossfire. IO and Eidos both put a lot of resources and time into Blood Money, achieving major improvements to the graphics, AI, and level design. The game has been positively received and is considered a cult classic.
Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolution was developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix, following their acquisition of Eidos Interactive in 2009. It was released on 20 November 2012 worldwide for Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Before release, the developers stated that Absolution, while still a stealth game, would adopt many action game elements such as having a cinematic story-driven narrative and more emphasis on gunplay in order to be accessible to a larger playerbase. The game introduces a new mechanic called 'Instinct', which allows Agent 47 to monitor enemies more easily, and an online mode called "Contracts", where players would create their own missions and share them with others online. The narrative of the game sees 47 betraying the ICA and going on the run to protect a genetically engineered teenage girl that is sought by both the ICA and several criminal syndicates due to her potential as an assassin.
Upon release, Absolution received mixed-positive review, with many fans of the earlier Hitman games criticizing the departure from the classic gameplay formula. Although the game sold over 3.6 million copies, it failed to reach predicted sales targets. On 15 May 2014, Hitman: Absolution — Elite Edition was released for OS X by Feral Interactive; it contains all previously released downloadable content, including Hitman: Sniper Challenge, a "making of" documentary, and a 72-page artbook.
World of Assassination trilogy (2016–2021)
Hitman
A soft-reboot of the series was announced in 2015 and was published by Square Enix. Titled Hitman, the game was released in March 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to highly positive reviews. Episodic in nature, Hitman features six levels that were released throughout 2016, one month apart from each other, along with additional content, such as "Elusive Targets", "Escalations", and user-created "Contracts" (similar to Absolutions "Contracts" mode). The developers chose the episodic approach to give themselves more time to work on each level, which as a result are larger and more detailed than in any previous Hitman game.
Following the under-performance of Absolution, the next title was conceived as a re-imagining of the franchise as IO Interactive attempted to combine the gameplay elements introduced in Absolution with the open-ended nature of older Hitman games. As such, each level was made to resemble a large and complex puzzle, where players are given free rein to explore and find different assassination opportunities, many of which are unconventional. The game also introduces a new storyline, as Agent 47 goes on a worldwide adventure to solve a series of seemingly unconnected assassinations. It also explores 47's mysterious past, which would be built upon in the following two games.
Hitman 2
Hitman 2 was announced in June 2018 by IO Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the latter of which published the game following IO's acquisition of the Hitman intellectual property from Square Enix. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in November 2018. Like 2016's Hitman, it is structured around six large sandbox levels, but unlike its predecessor, the game is not episodic and introduces several new features and multiplayer modes.
Players had the option to carry over levels from the first game at an additional cost; if a player already owned the first game, they were able to do so free of charge, while retaining all their original progress. The storyline continues from 2016's Hitman, as Agent 47 becomes caught in a conflict between the mysterious 'Shadow Client' and Providence, a secretive organization that controls global affairs and offered to reveal 47's forgotten past in exchange for his help hunting down the Shadow Client.
Hitman 3
Hitman 3 was revealed at the PlayStation 5 reveal event in 2020, and released in January 2021 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia (originally under the title Hitman: World of Assassination before the name was used across all platforms on 26 January 2023, following the service's shutdown on 18 January 2023), and Nintendo Switch (as a cloud version). The game was developed and self- published by IO Interactive, now an independent studio. Similarly to Hitman 2, Hitman 3 is not episodic, and gives players the option to carry over progress from the previous two games. For the first time in the series, the game includes VR support, which extends to levels imported from the first two games. The narrative of the game concludes the story arc started in 2016's Hitman, as Agent 47, after allying himself with the Shadow Client, attempts to eliminate Providence once and for all.
The game was received positively, with many citing it as the best entry in the series to date, and was also the most commercially successful Hitman game. IO Interactive supported Hitman 3 extensively with several releases of downloadable content and free updates that added new features, game modes, and a new map. In January 2023, IO announced that Hitman and Hitman 2 would be merged into Hitman 3, which would be renamed Hitman: World of Assassination.
Spin-offs
Hitman Go
Hitman Go is a turn based puzzle video game developed by Square Enix Montreal. The game was released for iOS on 17 April 2014, and for Android on 4 June 2014. The Microsoft Windows and the Windows Phones version of the game was released on 27 April 2015. A "Definitive Edition" including improved visuals and all additional content was released for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam on 23 February 2016.
Hitman: Sniper
Hitman: Sniper is a first-person shooter developed by Square Enix Montreal. It was released for iOS and Android on 4 June 2015. The game does not include any story elements and focuses on Agent 47 executing targets from a static location using a sniper rifle.
Hitman Sniper: The Shadows
Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is a first-person shooter developed by Square Enix Montreal and the sequel to Hitman: Sniper. It was released for iOS and Android on 3 March 2022. It includes the same gameplay as its predecessor, without Agent 47 as a playable character.
Collections
Hitman Trilogy
A box set titled Hitman Trilogy (Hitman: The Triple Hit Pack in Europe) was released for PlayStation 2 on June 19, 2007, in North America and on June 22, 2007, in Europe by Eidos. It contains Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. The games in the collection are identical to the previously released stand-alone versions.
Hitman HD Trilogy
The same set of titles released for the Hitman Trilogy were later released as part of a new compilation for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titled Hitman HD Trilogy, and was released on January 29, 2013, in North America, January 31, 2013 in Australia and February 2, 2013, in Europe by Square Enix. This compilation contains newly ported versions of Silent Assassin and Contracts for both consoles, as well as a new port of Blood Money for the PlayStation 3 (the Xbox 360 version was previously released as a stand-alone). A digital bundle was also released for the Xbox 360 titled Hitman HD Pack, containing just Silent Assassin and Contracts, aimed at users who already owned the stand-alone version of Blood Money for the same platform.
Hitman HD Enhanced Collection
A compilation was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 11 January 2019 worldwide by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment through the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store featuring new ports of Hitman: Blood Money and Hitman: Absolution for both platforms. This port promised updated graphics, 4K resolution, improved textures and lighting, as well as updated controls for both games.
Hitman Trilogy
A digital-only collection of all the games from the World of Assassination trilogy was released on 20 January 2022 by IO Interactive. It features Hitman 3 as well as access passes to play the content from Hitman and Hitman 2 within Hitman 3. A Premium Add-Ons bundle includes all DLC for the games, excluding the "Seven Deadly Sins" DLC from Hitman 3. The Hitman Trilogy bundle is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam and Epic Games.
Hitman: World of Assassination
A collection titled Hitman: World of Assassination was released on January 26, 2023. It allows the importation of all content from 2016's Hitman and Hitman 2 into Hitman 3.
Gameplay
Primarily from a third-person perspective, the core objective of each level in the games are to kill an assigned target(s). In most cases, Hitman allows the player different options to accomplish this task. Players can perform precise or indiscriminate assassinations in order to achieve the mission goals; the games reward a subtle approach by awarding special weapons or cash bonuses if players earn a favorable rank. In an effort to complete his assassination(s) easier, 47 can wear a variety of disguises (such as repairmen, police officers, waiters, and a plethora more) to fool his enemies and his target(s), gain access to restricted areas and accomplish tasks that would be illegal if not for wearing a disguise. The focus of Hitman is not hiding in the shadows from the enemy, but rather blending in amongst them. As such, disguises, even though they are not mandatory, are a very important element to the player in order to make their assassination run smoother.
Disguises
Disguises are an integral part of the Hitman experience. They allow Agent 47 to access locations and areas not normally accessible without one. These locations and areas are places that help the player progress throughout the level undetected and may potentially give the player extra gear or intel. With disguises, the player can even setup certain assassinations that, again, would not be available to the player without. Some examples include:
poisoning a target as a waiter
eliminating a target as a trusted guard
eliminating a target while they are on an operating table as a doctor
replacing a World War I replica gun to be used in an opera rehearsal with a real World War I era pistol as an actor
Disguises are entirely optional; however, and the player can complete a mission without changing into one, albeit challenging.
These disguises are integral to remaining undetected throughout the mission and award the player with a "Silent Assassin" mission rating.
Silent Assassin
Remaining undetected is very important in the series. Some ways players can remain undetected are destroying camera footage/not being recorded, not eliminating non-targets, and avoiding suspicious behavior. A major feature of earlier games is the tension meter or "Suspicion Meter", (later replaced with a suspicion triangle) detailing how much attention or suspicion the player is receiving from the public. Suspicious activities include:
being recorded committing a crime on camera
using a lock pick
holding a weapon with the wrong disguise
being seen in a restricted area with the wrong disguise or without one (World of Assassination trilogy)
witnesses of an assassination or a body is discovered that was not an accidental kill
Instinct
Gameplay for the most part has remained relatively unchanged since the genesis of the series. Despite this, one major inclusion to recent games was the introduction of a feature called "instinct". Instinct allows players to see through walls and discover where non-player characters and the targets are, items of interest, and items that can be interacted with. This feature was first implemented in Absolution and later revised upon in future titles. Much like disguises, a player can opt out of using this feature if they choose.
Characters
List of cast members
Reception
The main games in the Hitman franchise have received generally positive reviews for their level design and gameplay elements. In particular the level of freedom offered to players and the unique approach to stealth gameplay. The series has received multiple awards and nominations, including several Game of the Year awards. It has also been commercially successful, selling over 15 million copies worldwide as of 2015 with the World of Assassination trilogy alone reaching over 50 million players as of November 2021.
Original series
Hitman: Codename 47 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Jim Preston reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and calling it "A deeply flawed masterpiece that will, nonetheless, reward forgiving gamers." Codename 47 received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In April 2009, Square Enix revealed that Codename 47 had surpassed half a million sales globally.
Silent Assassin received generally positive reviews from critics, who considered it to be an improvement over its predecessor in every aspect. The game was also a commercial success, having sold more than 3.7 million copies as of 23 April 2009, which makes it the best-selling Hitman game in the original series.
Contracts was met with generally positive reviews; praise was directed at the improved gameplay elements, graphics, soundtrack, darker tone and atmosphere, while criticism was reserved for the lack of significant improvements and the familiarity with the previous two games. As of April 2009, the game has sold around 2 million copies.
Blood Money was a critical and commercial success, selling more than 2.1 million copies. It has gained a cult following and is considered by many publications and critics as one of the greatest video games of all time.
Absolution was met with a polarized reception. Most positive comments were concerning the game's graphics, environments and locations, and the varied gameplay options. However, many critics and many long time fans of the series disliked the game for its linear structure, as opposed to the open ended nature of previous installments. As of March 2013, the game had sold over 3.6 million copies, failing to reach predicted sales targets.
World of Assassination trilogy
2016's Hitman received positive reviews; critics praised the game's episodic release format, locations, level design, and its replayability but criticized the always-online requirement and excessive handholding. The game under-performed commercially and caused publisher Square Enix to divest from IO Interactive in May 2017. Despite the slow start, IO Interactive announced the game had attracted seven million players as of November 2017 and more than 13 million players had played the game by May 2018. Hitman was nominated for Best Action/Adventure Game at The Game Awards 2016 and Evolving Game at the 13th British Academy Games Awards. Video game publication Giant Bomb named Hitman their Game of the Year in 2016.
Hitman 2 was met with generally positive reviews, with most critics considering it to be an improvement over its predecessor. It debuted at tenth place in the UK's all-format sales charts. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 10,162 copies within its debut week, which made it the fifth best-selling retail game of the week in the country. The game was nominated for "Control Design, 3D" and "Game, Franchise Adventure" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.
Hitman 3 received generally favorable reviews, with most critics regarding it as the best entry in the World of Assassination trilogy, and some even calling it the best Hitman game to date. The game was nominated for multiple year-end awards, and won several of them, including "PC Game of the Year" at the 2021 Golden Joystick Awards. Hitman 3 was also the most commercially successful of the franchise, selling 300% better than Hitman 2 and making back its development costs in only a week.
Collections
This collection was a boxset that was released in 2007 and included three of the original Hitman titles. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts, and Hitman: Blood Money were all sold in this boxset together and it was released on the PS2. Just like the original releases of the games, the bundle was received positively.
This HD collection was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It includes an Xbox 360 port of Hitman: Blood Money to both the consoles and an HD remaster of Hitman: Absolution. Both games were released on 4K with 60fps, has texture and lighting improvements, and introduces updated controls for a "...more fluid experience". This bundle received a mixed-positive review as noted by PlayStation Country, who gave the score a 7/10: "As a remaster, Hitman HD Enhanced Collection does deliver the best looking edition of these games to consoles. If either of these titles are missing from your Hitman collection, it's worth a look".
Spin-offs
Following its announcement, Hitman Go was met with some skepticism from critics. However, the game received a positive reception with praise for the art, aesthetics, simple gameplay mechanics, and translation of Hitman to a mobile device. It received several nominations and awards from gaming publications and award organizations.
Hitman: Sniper was met with generally favorable reviews. Some reviewers praised the cleverness and minimalism of its puzzle design, but wanted more variety from its activity-dense scenarios.
Other media
Films
A film adaptation of the game series was released in 2007. The film, titled Hitman, is set in a separate continuity from the game series, directed by Xavier Gens and starring Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47. Executive producer Vin Diesel was originally cast to play Agent 47 but was replaced for unknown reasons. The film also stars Dougray Scott, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Offei. In the film, the International Contract Agency is replaced by a similar group called the Organization, which, like the ICA, benefits from ties to various government agencies, is neutral in global matters and morality, and performs missions all over the world. Unlike the game wherein the hitmen are contracted from a range of backgrounds, the Organization instead recruits orphans and trains them from an early age.
A reboot was planned but Olyphant stated on the Nerdist podcast that he had no interest in returning for a sequel and only did the original film in order to pay for his new house following the sudden cancellation of Deadwood.
On 5 February 2013, it was reported that the film series was being rebooted with the title Hitman: Agent 47, directed by Aleksander Bach. Screenwriter of the original film, Skip Woods, wrote the screenplay with Mike Finch and starring Rupert Friend as 47 after Paul Walker, who was originally
cast, was killed in a car crash on 30 November 2013. The film also stars Zachary Quinto, Hannah Ware, Thomas Kretschmann, Dan Bakkedahl and Ciarán Hinds.
In 2015, Hitman film producer Adrian Askarieh stated that he hoped to oversee a film universe with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief, but admitted that he does not have the rights to Tomb Raider. In May 2017, the Game Central reporters at Metro UK suggested that the shared universe was unlikely, pointing out that no progress had been made on any Just Cause, Deus Ex nor Thief films.
Television series
In November 2017, Hulu and Fox 21 Television Studios announced it would produce a television series based on the game. Derek Kolstad, Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon would serve as its executive producers. The pilot episode would be written by Kolstad. Kolstad has stated that his adaption of Agent 47 will differ slightly from that of the vision IO has already made. Despite being announced in 2017, he does not know when the TV series will start filming.
Literature
William C. Dietz wrote the first novel in the Hitman book series, titled Hitman: Enemy Within. It was released on August 28, 2007, and published by Del Rey Books. Set between the events of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Hitman: Blood Money, the novel centers around Puissance Treize, an organisation rival to ICA.
The second novel in the Hitman book series, Hitman: Damnation, was written by Raymond Benson and was published on October 30, 2012. It serves as a tie-in and prequel to Hitman: Absolution.
IO Interactive partnered with Dynamite Entertainment to create Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman, a six-issue comic book miniseries that ran from November 2017 to June 2018, and was later released as a graphic novel in 2019. The series ties-in with the World of Assassination trilogy and depicts 47's life before the events of the games, including his upbringing at Dr. Ort-Meyer's asylum and his previous career as a brainwashed assassin for Providence alongside his best friend, Lucas Grey / Subject 6. IO Interactive had complete control over the storyline of the comic.
Future
In various interviews conducted with IO Interactive, they have confirmed that despite Hitman 3 being the final game in the World of Assassination trilogy, it will not be the last game in the franchise.
References
External links
Official Hitman website
Stealth video games by series
Fiction about assassinations
Cloning in fiction
Stealth video games
Video games about crime
Video game franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 2000
Video games adapted into comics
Video games adapted into films
Video games adapted into novels